Door operating mechanism



Jan. 10, 1939. s. w. FRIEND DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM Filed April 2'?,1936 f ..w z

x5'. Mfg/EMD.

' INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 10, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEDOOR UPERATING MECHANISM Samuel W. Friend, Glastonbury, Conn.

Application April 27, 1936, Serial No. 76,518

2 Claims. (Cl. 213-18) 'Ihis invention relates to doors and particularlyto self-opening doors adapted for application generally to individualautomobile garages.

An object of the invention is to provide a door supported for swingingor pivotal movement about a horizontal axis so that the door may moveupward when being opened to a position directly above the support andsubstantially at 90 from its closed position.

Another object of the invention is to provide a framework on each sideof the door adjustably secured to the door at one of its ends each framework having a pivot substantially centrally thereof rotatably engaging abearing for supporting the door. Also provided on each of the frameworksis a counterweight at its opposite end adjustable toward and from thepivotal bearing so that the entire moving structure may be maintainedslightly unbalanced to facilitate upward movement of `the door whenunlatched.

And iinally it is an object of the invention to provide latching meansto retain the door in its closed position, there being means to releasethe latch when itis desired to open the door, these 25 means operatingby manual means or by passing over a projection at a short distance fromthe door with the wheel of a vehicle.

One rfeature enabling me to accomplish the above-named objects is that aresilient catch is provided on the door at its lower edge engaging undera xedledge mounted in the floor of the garage, so that by forcing thiscatch from be` low the ledge either by manual or other means the doormay be released for movement upward by the counterweight.

And another feature of the invention is that uponl closing of the doorthe catch ,on the door will engage the ledge and retain the door inclosed position until again released.

With the above and other objects in view my invention includes thefeatures of construction and operation set forth in the followingspecification and illustrated in the accompanying drawmg.

In the accompanying drawing annexed hereto and forming a part of thisspecification, I have shown my invention embodied in a garage or otherbuilding structure for a single automobile 50 but it will be understoodthat the invention can be otherwise embodied and that the drawing is notto be construed as defining or limiting the scope of the invention, theclaims appended to this specication being relied upon for that pur- 55pose.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation in section showing the entire door operatingstructure in its open and closed positions.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the complete latch parts shown in sectionin its latclin'g and unlatching positions.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation in section of the door securing latch in itsposition as opened by the manually operated means.

Fig. 4 is a detail of the manually operated unlatching means; and

Fig. 5 is a detail of one of the pivotal supporting means for the doorbeing a vertical section as viewed from the rear and toward the entrancewith the door in closed position.

In the above mentioned drawing, I have shown but one embodiment of theinvention which is now deemed preferable, but it is to be understoodthat changes and modications may be made within the scope of theappended claims without departing from the spirit of the inven- A tion.

Briefly, and ln its preferred aspect, my invention may include thefollowing principal parts:

first supports fixed permanently within the building structure in whichthe door is to be mounted; second, a bearing provided at the upper endof each support; third, frame members or frameworks preferably built upof piping each having a short shaft extending into one of the bear-vings; fourth, a door adjustably secured to the frame members on oppositesides adjacent the edges thereof; fth, counterweights on each framemember adjustable toward and from the axis of the framework; sixth, alatch on the bottom edge of the door; seventh, releasing means for thelatch, and eighth, means to operate the releasing means manually and bypassing over a projection with a vehicle wheel.

Referring more in particular to the figures of the drawing, I show myimproved door mounting and operating means within a garage I0 shown inoutline in Figure 1- of the drawing. Within this structure IIl on eachside thereof is provided a fixed support II, one only of which islshown. On each support II at its upper end l is provided aI bearing I2.These bearings I2 are in alignment with each other and are spaced 'apartsuiiiciently to permit a vehicle to enter bearing I2. As will be bestseen from an inspection of Fig. l of the drawing, each framework I8 ismade up of sections of piping coupled together by suitable Tconnections. One T connection I6 in a central cross member of theframework I3 has the short shaft I l extending therefrom and enteringthe bearing I2.

The door I6 along opposite sides and adjacent their edges is attached tothe frameworks I8 as shown. Preferably the ends of th pipe sectionsforming the frameworks have th end portions threaded and provided withnuts I1, vpositioned on opposite faces of the door I6. By adjustment ofthe nuts I1 the position of the door may be ad- Justed limited distancestoward and from the bearing I2 about which the door I6 and theframeworks I3 oscillate.

Mounted on the frameworks I3 and oppositely disposed relative to thedoor I6 are' counterweights I8. These counterweights I8 are in the formof blocks preferably of concrete or other heavy but inexpensive materialand are mounted adjustably upon the threaded ends of the frameworkmembers I3. As shown in Fig. 1 nuts I9 engage the threaded ends ofmembers I3 on opposite faces of the counterweights I8 so that theseweights I8 may be adjusted to give any desired balance or unbalance tothe door I6. Usually the weights I8 on each of the frameworks I3 areadjusted so that they will cause the door I6 to slowly move upward whenreleased as presently to be described. The unbalance is not suflicienthowever to prevent closing the door I6 easily by manually grasping theedge of the door while in its upper position and forcing it downward. Asthe doorv I 6 reaches its lowermost or closed position the latchpresently to be described engages its lower edge and retains the door`in closed position.

Adjacent the lower edge of the door I6 and substantially centrally ofthe door laterally is a resilient catch member 20. This catch 20 may besecured to the lower end of a flexible metal strip 2I ixed to the frontsurface of the door I6. A plate 22 xed to the floor of the garage isengaged by the catch 20 when the door I6 is in its closed position asshown in full lines in Fig. 1 and prevents opening of the door until thecatch 20 is disengaged from the plate 22.

To disengage the catch 2li from the plate 22 a movable member 23 isprovided. This member 23 is normally held in retracted position by aspring 24. As shown the member 23 and its operating means are housedwithin an enclosure 25 below the level of the ground in front of thegarage I 0. To move the member 23 to a position forcing the catch 20from below the plate 22 so that the door I6 will open a bell crank 26 ismounted for oscilation about a horizontal axis within a portion of thehousing 25. An arm of this bell crank 26 extends upwardly far enough tobe engaged and forced downward by passing over it with the wheel of anautomobile or other vehicle. 'I'he lower arm of the bell crank 26 issecured to one end of a cable 21 the opposite end of which is made fastto the' movable releasing member 2 3. By depressing the bell crank 26the member-23 is forced toward the left far enough to disengage thecatch 20 from its locking plate 22. Immediately upon the bell crank 26being released the spring 2l returns the member 23 and the bell crank totheir normal positions. Plate 22 may be adjustably mounted upon the oorof the garage as by means of screws 33 entering elongated slots providedfor them in the plate 22.

Also the catch 20 may be vertically adjusted upon the strip 2| as bymeans of bolts 3l passing Y through elongated slots within the catch 20.\t In addition to the bell crank. 26 for releasing he catch 2li theremay be provided manual means for this purpose operable from the insideor outside of the Adoor I6. This means. is shown in Figs. 3 and 4 andincludes a latch 28 having a handle on opposite sides of the door andconnected to the upper end of a reach rod 29, 'I'he lower end of thisrod 29 is attached to an arm of a small bell crank 30 pivoted on ahorizontal axis within the door I6. Oscillation of the latch 28 raisesthe rod 23 and forces the bell crank 30 in a direction to press its arm3| against the strip 2| to disengage the catch 20 from plate 22. As soonas the catch 20 is released the resilient strip 2l will force the bellcrank 30 and rod 29 to their initial or normal position.

As soon as released by bell crank 26 or latch 28 the door I6 will swingslowly upward due to the weight of the counterweights I8. -The catch 20will return promptly to its initial position due toY the resilience ofstrip 2I and member 23 will be returned due to the spring 24. 'I'helatching means of the door I6 will be ready therefore to again retainthe door in closed position as soon as it is again lowered.

I claim as my invention:

1. A door supporting ande operating means comprising in combination,opposed rigid supports, frame-works having parallel arms formed thereonand having a pivoted bearing in each support, screw threads on the outerends oQsaid arms, a door mounted on said arms and connected by saidscrew threads to the outer ends of said arms of said frameworks atvariable distances from said bearings whereby oscillation of saidframeworks will permit oscillation of said door to a predeterminedclosed and to an open position, counterweights secured adjustably on theends of said frameworks opposite said door and' normally holding saiddoor in open position, and a catch comprising a resilient metal stripattached to said door adapted to engage a metal o plate adjustablewithin the opening for said door,

whereby said door may sition.

2. A door supporting and operating means comprising in combination,opposed rigid supports, frameworks having parallel arms formed thereonand having a pivotal bearing in each support. a door adjustably securedto the outer ends of said arms of said frameworks at variable disberetainedin closed potances from said bearings whereby oscillation ofsaid frameworks will permit oscillation of said door to a predeterminedclosed and to an open position, counterweights secured adjustably on theends of said frameworks opposite said door and normally holding saiddoor in open position,

f and a catchcomprising a resilient metal strip attached to said doorand adapted to engage over a metal plate adjustably positioned withinthe opening for said door.

` SAMUEL W. FRIEND.

